About Course #N1808

Release Date: August 17, 2017

Expiration Date: August 31, 2020

Sleep disorders and their symptoms can disrupt relationships, as in the case of loud snoring that drives a spouse out of a shared bedroom. These disorders can lead to job loss as a result of daytime sleepiness, and they can even lead to highway accidents, as when a sleep-deprived driver dozes off at the wheel. Individuals with sleep disorders also are more likely to suffer from a number of chronic illnesses (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2015b).

Sleep disorders affect an estimated 50 to 70 million people each year. Approximately 48% report snoring, 38% experience nodding off or falling asleep at the wheel, and 30% report some sort of insomnia. Twenty-five million adults are diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), making restful, restorative sleep difficult (ASA, n.d.).

Sleep disorders take on different forms. There are more than 60 recognized diagnoses currently identified by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine in the International Classification of Sleep Disorders. Sleep disorders, including OSA, has become a public health crisis.

This course will discuss how untreated or poorly treated sleep disorders can exacerbate chronic medical conditions and how it can be treated.

About the Author(s)

Margaret-Ann Carno, PhD, MBA, MJ, CPNP, D,ABSM, FAAN, is a professor of clinical nursing and pediatrics at the University of Rochester School of Nursing and a nurse practitioner at the Pediatrics Sleep Medicine Services Golisano Children's Hospital, University of Rochester Medical Center, in Rochester, New York. Dr. Carno is one of a only a few PhD-prepared nurses to be boarded by the American Board of Sleep Medicine. She has been trained in sleep medicine across the life span and has lectured nationally on sleep issues both in pediatrics and across the life span. She has served on committees for the American Association of Sleep Medicine and the American Thoracic Society.

Course Disclosures

Courses must be completed on or before the expiration date noted in the course description above.

You must score 75% or higher on the final exam and complete the course evaluation to pass this course and receive a certificate of completion.

Through our review processes, Western Schools ensures that this course content is presented in a balanced, unbiased manner and is free from commercial influence. It is Western Schools' policy not to accept commercial support.

All persons involved in the planning and development of this course have disclosed no relevant financial relationships or other conflicts of interest related to the course content.